The 3rd Refresher Course 2014 on Media Studies and Governance started today on 10thJanuary and will continue till 31st January 2015

7th Day (19/01/15)

1st Lecture by Prof Steve Mcdowell onJournalism in South Asia

Prof. Steve Mcdowell spoke on “Journalism in South Asia” and addressed the issues on changing broadcast policies y, internet governance, telecom & communication policies, cultural studies, etc in South Asia. He said that South Asian higher education system particularly in the discipline of communication and media needs more attention of introducing culture, technology and communication. Media Studies in terms of its research both in Indian and South Asia needs rethinking. While Canadian universities have widely focus on different issues like political economy of media, media access, policy analysis, media anthropology, development communication, communication technology etc.

Journalism studies has been majorly adopted in curriculum and syllabus and it has been considered as specific disciplines by the South Asian Universities, but very few studies do remain in teaching on education for professions, education for citizenship, education for socio-economic development and human capacity building program for other institutions.

In terms of research output, USA universities primarily do engage the inter-desciplinarity and multi-disciplinarity in media and communication studies. Other institutions do focus on public policy project, policy based research, also research on media and governance with relation to social science. USA has communication studies, profession paper in radio and communication training, but paper in South Asia have on journalism studies. Media studies have different position in other countries. Most of the paper does focus on social movements, whole range of conflicts like caste, class, ethnic, gender etc. Policies in Pakistan and Sri Lanka are linked with conflict they have their own country. Recently, news media and electronic media have exploded and gone so first. Media is used earlier for developmental purposes particularly on development communication. Television content remains concern with development communication. He concluded the lecture by saying that one of the most important challenges remains in South Asian to focus is in new media like face book, email, social media, internet etc.

2nd & 3rd Lecture by Prof G. Ravindran on Journalism Studies in India

Prof. G. Ravindran provided a thought provoking lecture on “Journalism studies in India”. By saying the nature of problem in Indian journalism is it remains in the outside of journalism, he emphasized that Journalism is found at the cross roads of both oral culture and print culture. He reiterated that journalists are capable of writing language but incapable of making sense of capable of communicating. Cultural reasons for the failures of Indian journalism is that news and journalism as problematic culture entities where texting through mobile is a tradition in west. Mediation of the divergent/conflicting remained in everyday practices in oral cultures and print cultures.

He finally discussed the problems of Indian journalism, which can be located under three possible approaches i.e historical approach, social approach, and cultural & anthropological approach

Addressing the “historical approach” he said that it is mostly relevant to understand why did it work in the past rather than understanding who did what? Journalism is then and now defined in loose manner like “unethical practices”, whereas periodicals in these days is to publicize the reputation of owner who has money, social prestige and political pressure. One can explore these from critical/third perspective. Historical facts and meanings need to be linked with journalism. Problem of Indian journalism is not new but based on historical facts and stories. Our journalism is class based notion of journalism where Chinese’s paper found to be based on class based and Marxist approaches.

Social, Cultural and Anthropological Approach– It has been a sad journey particularly in India, He finds it troublesome for the logic of freedom of expression under article 19 1(a) which is rooted from the domain of medium of instruction. He referred to another example by saying that Dalit writer’s book was banned but media remained silent. Crime reporter never visits the incident place other than police station or commissioner office. Referring to historical evident, he says that print culture takes root from the historical incidents and creates of conflict as predominant content. What the printing machine travelled through different places and why the conflicts pre dominated in the media today as could it be resulted from the historical avenues. In case of Radia Tapes and 2G scam, no body dared to report except Open magazine and Outlook. Not only in India, but in abroad, most of the media organization is family owned. Feudalism is a substitute for a family owned paper like TOI. Sacredness is often changing in Indian journalism over a time. He told that one needs not to be journalist to be a journalist. Media leads to provide news, views and advertise leads to death of journalism. Paid journalism is a death of journalism since it indicates that propaganda and publicity and a betrayal of unbeaten contract. To sum up, he said that problem of Indian journalism is to be located in distant time, but the problematic relationship of citizenship needs vibrancy and democracy in these days.